What to expect from a superhero Christmas
by Casual Voodoo
Summary: My Secret Santa present for the wonderful Eanariesilver! It's just two dorks having a nice Christmas Eve together, and a bit of a reveal. I'm sorry if there was meant to be a plot, you get this instead. Pure fluff.


"What should I get my lady for Christmas, Plagg?" Adrien asked the small Kwami nestled in his shoulder. Adrien had been deliberating over this for the last couple of days, and now he was stuck here on Christmas eve, empty handed. Luckily, there was a Christmas Market happening later that might herald some good luck for the misfortunate black cat.

He wanted to get his Lady the perfect present, the pinnacle of Christmas gifts. Something that would hopefully mean a lot to her. Maybe he could finally look her in the eyes and finally admit that he loved her. Maybe she's even love him back. It had to be right, something his Lady would love and without a doubt always keep close to her heart.

"Cheese." Plagg deadpanned, snapping Adrien out of his thoughts and rather begrudgingly, into reality. Adrien shot him a glare, and slightly shook his head.

This had to go right.

* * *

"Tikki, what do I do!" Marinette yelped at the small Kwami, who did not appear even slightly phased by the shriek- it was almost as if she was used to it.

On the chaise lay a lovingly handcrafted blanket, made out of very fine black yarn that Marinette had chosen just for this occasion, with little green paw prints littered throughout the cozy cover. There was however the small matter of it only being half done.

"Calm down Marinette!" Soothed Tikki, a beacon of light and positivity as always.

"How Tikki! It might not be done in time!" Marinette seethed. _Why did she always manage to do this_ , she thought to herself bitterly, as she slumped onto the chaise.

Tikki muttered something about misplaced aggression under her breath, and suggested Marinette work on knitting the blanket instead of complaining if she wanted to get it done.

* * *

Adrien stared at his miracle in the biting frost of the midwinter day.

"It's perfect." He muttered in disbelief, as he took of his mittens as to handle it gently. With a smile warm enough to melt the blanket snow surrounding them, he took it to the shopkeeper with an unmissable sense of glee.

* * *

"Marinette! Dinners ready, come down before it's cold!" Sabine Cheng shouted up the stairs. In mute horror, Marinette glanced towards her clock. Her hands were sore from knitting for most of the day, and she absentmindedly rubbed them together in an attempt to get rid of the lingering stiffness that had took to them.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng said a very unprintable word.

* * *

When Ladybug was flying effortlessly through the snowy roofs of Paris, a smile playing on her lips and a laugh echoing through the city of love, the city she watched over and protected valiantly, she did not expect to be hit in the face with a snowball.

However, after _that_ occurred, she certainly did expect to turn around and see a particular black cat, wearing his best Cheshire cat grin, struggling to hold back is laughter. Struggling and _failing_. Gasps of muffled laughter floated through the rooftops like a melody, and his breath was showing against the cold, stark air. He didn't seem all that affected by the dulling cold, or the shimmering layer of white draped over the city, like a blanket. Ladybug however was a different story.

She was shivering, and her were teeth chattering; albeit inaudibly, even though Chat's super hearing still probably managed to pick up the little whimpers and the clacking of tooth against tooth. Tikki had warned her that the cold affected Ladybugs, but this was absolutely _awful_. The cold wrapped it's spindly fingers around her, dragging her into a trance, and coaxing her into slumber. Sleep was but a sirens song that she simply couldn't afford to succumb to, even when it's sweet lullaby caught her unawares when her eyes were dragged down as if they were bearing weights of led, and her brain turned all fuzzy from the pure tiredness she had to endure. She didn't want to exaggerate, but it felt like she had spent 100 years in hell and this was the worst day of her life.

Ok, maybe she wanted to exaggerate a _little_.

"Chaton." She grumbled, fighting to keep the smile off her face as she walked over to him at the other end of the roof. Snow had started to fall heavier now, and the little crystals drifting lazily through the freezing air had created a festive shimmer that, despite the frosty atmosphere of the night, warmed Ladybug's heart.

He laughed at her heartily, and in that moment Ladybug wanted to _melt_.

His smile was genuine and sweet, the kind that made people go kinda fuzzy and want to laugh along with him- despite his awful jokes. He really had grown up, Ladybug begrudgingly noticed with a strange twinge of pride. She hated that smile; it was the kind of smile that made her have to recite ' _he's just my partner_ ' 50 times over in her head. He waltzed up to her, and kissed her hand. Stifling a laugh, she tried to smile just as hard as he was.

"Sorry Buginette," He said with a mischievous undertone that had her convinced he wasn't sorry at all. "I couldn't help myself. I do so love the festive season." Ladybug nodded lightly.

"I can't say I like the cold; but I can't deny, the holiday's are my favorite time of the year." She smiled. They stared at each other, eyes locked in their familiarity. The snow lay thick on the roof, making it gleam; Icicles hung down from the guttering. The scene was perfectly set.

Obviously the only thing Ladybug could do was _absolutely mercilessly crush her little kitten._

That snowball had been his _last mistake._

He rose his hands in mock surrender, still lightly chuckling. "Hey bug, I know that look in your eye, and I have to ask, do you really want to kill me before I give you your present?" He bit his lip, still smiling like the goof he was. Ladybug relaxed, letting her muscles get less tense and let out a sigh.

"I guess not." She huffed, her tone teasing.

" _Joyeux Noël, buginette._ " He said, staring into her eyes, blue like pools of water and the sky.

" _Joyeux Noël, mon minou._ " She said, staring into his eyes, green like emeralds and springtime.

They both exchanged presents and a smile simultaneously. Upon receiving his, Adrien noticed that it was squishy, most likely made out of cloth, and also that the wrapping paper was notoriously adorable. Likewise, upon receiving hers, Marinette noticed that it was a small rectangular box, wrapped messily in pastel green tissue paper, and an oddly charming yellow ribbon.

"Open yours first." Ladybug suddenly said, accompanied with a smile that lit up Adrien's entire world. He carefully ripped into the wrapping paper, tearing it away to get to the treasure inside. His entire face gleamed with delight as he hugged the Chat Noir themed blanket close to his body, breathing in the smell of what reminded Chat a little of a bakery. He didn't think he could've stopped smiling if he wanted to.

"I love it." He breathed, in awe.

"I made it." Ladybug said with an odd sense of pride. Chat Noir smiled even harder.

He didn't need to know that 'I made it' also meant that she made the deadline. That was a conversation confined to Tikki trying to embarrass her; unless cookies could buy her silence, that is.

"Your turn." Chat Noir said, urging her to open it. She smiled, and obliged, pulling off the tissue paper, and savoring the little yellow ribbon that was so lovingly tied around the present. It was a grey box, uninteresting honestly and not much to look at, but that was all a front. Marinette knew better than most people that it was on the inside where everything mattered. She looked up to Chat Noir one last time, before taking the top off the box.

They were sterling silver, and they shined in the face of the moonlight. They even reflected the little pieces of crystallized water falling from the sky in a flurry. One of the chains held a red and black ladybug charm, depicting the elegant creature moments before the flight. The other, a black cat with starling green eyes, and a rather mischievous glint in it's face. Both of the chains held half of a plain silver heart, equally split.

"Kitten, they're beautiful." LB said, holding her hand to her heart. "Friendship heart necklaces, a classic." She smiled.

"To keep us connected," Adrien said. "Out of the suit, and always." Was it possible to have a heart attack at 15? Adrien thought he might.

Marinette stroked them, and finally, took the Ladybug necklace out of the box. She went to put it around Chat's neck, and he purred at her touch. She giggled lightly. In return, she did the same for her, the cat shaped in his likeness resting on her collarbones. He couldn't suppress his massive grin, as the silver chain fell around her neck like it had always meant to lie there.

"Thank you, Chaton." Ladybug said softly, gently cupping her hand around his face and staring into his eyes. Yes, Adrien most definitely could have a heart attack at 15 and he was most certainly having one.

"No," Chat said, a tender smile floating across his lips and his eyes filled to the brim with dumb love, "Thank _you_ , buginette." With a teasing smile, Ladybug leaned in closer, and Adrien could feel her warm breath on his neck, making the skin tingle and his heart dance.

"You know, there's still one thing we haven't resolved." She said heartily, her voice low and sultry. ( has stopped working.)

With speed comparable to lightning, Ladybug scooped up a handful of freezing snow and flung it at Chat Noir. It hit him full in the face. For a moment, all was quiet. Then, naturally, all hell broke loose.

* * *

Ladybug couldn't decide whether to help him, or carrying on laughing.

She was leaning towards the latter, to be honest, trying not to laugh at Chat's screams. After she had absolutely decimated him in the snowball fight, which civilians had requested them to stop, he had promptly gotten himself into this rather amusing situation. He had screamed rather excitedly at the top of his voice "Let's make snow angels instead!" And had jumped into a snowbank. Which was fine, in theory. _Except_ the snowbank was too deep and he was stuck.

"Oh Chaton!" She gasped through her fits of laughter. "What am I going to do with you?" She said fondly, and in that moment, Chat swore that his furious blushing would melt the absolutely freezing snow surrounding him and o _h Jesus it's going down the back of his neck-_

* * *

Both superhero's lay warm under the black blanket that Chat had received for Christmas sipping beautifully warm hot chocolates and talking softly under labored breaths. The hot chocolates were from a nearby shop, who where more than welcoming to the superhero's, insisting that they didn't have to pay, and that they should just take the treats. Marinette had made a mental note to come back as her civilian self and generously tip him anyway. He had, rather amused with himself, handed them a Ladybug and a Chat Noir mug respectively, and with a knowing look at each other, they swapped mugs. Adrien had laughed into the Ladybug mug as the middle-aged man had raised an eyebrow at them.

They talked about past akuma's and how they should do this more often on patrols. They danced around each others civilian life and tried to figure out how they could talk about their passions and hobbies without giving anything away.

As the snow fell and the moon watched over Paris, everything was as it should be. It was Christmas eve, and they could be curled up in bed or with their families, but they had chose to be here, and that meant a lot to the both of them.

Chat's heart clenched as he took his Lady's hand. _Forever_ , he silently mused to himself.

"I never want this to end." He finally admitted, and Ladybug stroked his hair with a sad smile.

"Me neither Chaton." Her voice was cracking, overflowing with a barrage of emotions like a waterfall. They lay with each other for as long as they dared before finally going home. Home. When most would ask where home was, they would describe a place, but they would think of each other. They would think of their eyes and the love that filled them, they would think about their lips and the promises they spoke, they would think about their heart and how they cared. And then they would sigh because no one could ever no they loved their like that, or that they were even affiliated with them.

Secrets were nothing but I weight on the heart and a strain on the soul.

* * *

Adrien looked around the café that Nino had told him to meet them at, and took in the warm, bustling aura of the charming little building on the corner of the street. Welcoming Jazz music flowed freely through the shop like water, and the smiles on peoples faces radiating calmness and a sense of security. Alya waved at him from across the shop, and his face stretched into a smile. Waving back, he tried not to run to his friends, settling at a little half walk.

" _Joyeux Noël_ dude!" Nino cheered, pulling Adrien into a notoriously hard bear hug, and shuffling over to the other side of the booth, next to the window.

" _Joyeux Noël_ , Adrien." Alya smiled at him, messing a little with her scarf. It had a pull in it. "Now we're just waiting on Marinette. Adrien smiled back at her, buzzing with excitement to see his friends.

" _Joyeux Noël_ , to the both of you!" He said warmly, taking their hands. The corners of his eyes crinkled as he grinned wildly, and Alya silently observed the silver chain on his neck decorated with a single Ladybug charm. She took a sip of her black coffee, deciding against saying anything, but resolving to ask Nino about it later.

They all looked over as Marinette burst into the shop holding 3 presents wrapped in notoriously adorable paper. Instead of her usual pigtails, her hair was brushed back into a smooth ponytail, held in place by an oddly charming yellow ribbon. Adrien blinked a couple of times, before noting it all down to coincidence.

" _Joyeux Noël_ , guys!" She half shouted, waving across the shop and making her way over to them, nipping skillfully through the crowd. She smiled and Adrien's heart might have just skipped a beat there for a second.

"Sorry I'm la-" She began, but skidded to a screeching halt as her eyes fell to the charm around Adrien's neck. Likewise, Adrien stared at the small black cat charm resting comfortably on her collarbones. It couldn't be... could it? Adrien's mind searched for any possible explanation until...

Yeah, he could 100% see Marinette as Ladybug, and one look at her told him she may or may not be coming to the conclusion that he just might be Chat Noir.

Snow still fell outside, and the people in the café still chatted. Drinks were still being poured by the overworked barista's and outside, people were still trying to sell newspapers to people in the bitter, unrelenting cold. Nothing had changed; not really. Except to them, everything was different.

They locked eyes. Their hearts palpitated. They nervously fidgeted. Suddenly, they were a lot more aware of the charms resting on their chests close to their hearts.

" _Joyeux Noël, buginette._ " He said, staring into her eyes, blue like pools of water and the sky.

" _Joyeux Noël, mon minou._ " She said, staring into his eyes, green like emeralds and springtime.


End file.
